Margaret Hamilton (software engineer)

Margaret Hamilton (born August 17, 1936) is an American computer scientist, software engineer, and businesswoman. She is best known for her work on the Apollo program at MIT's Instrumentation Laboratory, where she led the team that developed the onboard flight software for the Apollo command and lunar modules.

Hamilton's team was responsible for developing error detection and recovery routines that proved crucial during the Apollo 11 moon landing. Specifically, their software prevented a mission abort when the lunar module's computer was overwhelmed with data due to a hardware problem. The software's ability to prioritize tasks and recover from overloads allowed the astronauts to safely land on the Moon.

Prior to her work on Apollo, Hamilton gained experience in weather forecasting and air defense systems. After Apollo, she founded Higher Order Software in 1976 and Hamilton Technologies in 1986. These companies focused on formal methods and software reliability, developing the Universal Systems Language (USL) and the "Development Before the Fact" (DBTF) paradigm.

Hamilton has received numerous awards and recognition for her contributions to computer science and software engineering, including the NASA Exceptional Space Act Award in 2003 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. Her work is considered foundational to modern software development practices, particularly in safety-critical systems. She is a strong advocate for the importance of software reliability and the application of rigorous engineering principles to software development. Her impact extends beyond the space program, influencing fields like aviation, medicine, and transportation.